Developmental orthopaedic disease (DOD) encompasses a range of conditions affecting young horses during growth. Nutrition management and appropriate exercise are key preventive strategies.
DOD causes pain during a horse's formative years that can establish negative associations with movement and handling that persist throughout life. Young horses with joint pain may be misidentified as having "training problems" when the underlying cause is physical discomfort. Severe DOD conditions cause lameness that compromises welfare and threatens athletic careers. Prevention is infinitely preferable to treatment: appropriate nutrition management from conception, controlled exercise programs on suitable surfaces, and regular veterinary monitoring enable early intervention when problems develop. Breeding programs that select against OCD-prone bloodlines reduce the population burden of the disease.